The Blog

17 reasons Christians should be very, very concerned about our healthcare future

On February 22, 2010, President Obama released a summary of his latest health care proposal in order to rekindle momentum for the government takeover of healthcare.

The President’s proposal used elements of both Senate and House-passed bills, along with some new provisions.

There is, however, no legislative text, nor is there any Congressional Budget Office analysis of the true cost to you, your children and grandkids.

Before Christmas 2009, while you and I were focused on Christmas celebrations and God’s gift of his Son, the U.S. Senate, on a strictly partisan vote, gave you a dubious gift: an $871 billion healthcare bill (the House version is $1.3 trillion) that forces us to pay for the killing of millions of unborn children.

When this bill passed, taxpayer-funded abortion was signed into law by President Obama. It will be the greatest expansion of abortion since the Supreme Court’s immoral Roe v. Wade decision in 1973.

But that’s not all. Here are 17 additional reasons to be concerned about the new healthcare bill that passed behind closed doors, in secret, in the middle of the night:

You’ll get lower quality healthcare. Despite U.S. healthcare problems—most of them caused by government regulation—the quality of our healthcare is the envy of the world…And people who suffer under socialist systems such as those in Canada, England and France frequently come here when they need first-rate medical care or don’t want to wait months or even years for treatment.

But that’s about to change. The regulations, controls and mandates imposed by faceless bureaucrats will turn our healthcare system into a DMV or Post Office form of lower-quality care. Just look into the myehic application in Europe and how “successful” that has been. Soon, those living under socialist systems will have nowhere to turn for quality care. And neither will you.

You’ll have a bureaucrat instead of a physician helping determine your medical care. More than 111 government agencies will be overseeing your care, led by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The bill dramatically increases the budget deficit. The President claims this bill is deficit neutral. It’s not true. The annual revenues generated by the plan will fall well short of covering the cost every year. Worse yet, the plan assumes massive future cuts in Medicare spending—cuts that will never take place.

Your premiums will skyrocket. Watch as premiums rise drastically, leading to full nationalization of health care.

Your taxes will also skyrocket. Small businesses in particular will see huge tax increases, with over $500 billion in new taxes. And get ready for all kinds of hidden taxes, including on any medical device. Those taxes will be passed on to you, the consumer.

Some of you will be denied the care you so desperately need. Therapies and treatments will be rationed by government-approved, faceless bureaucrats. What you get depends on an impersonal decision.

While politicians like to pretend that it’s only big, bad insurance companies that deny coverage, government systems do it all the time, denying care to anyone they deem unworthy.

Perhaps you heard about Barbara Wagner, who was denied cancer treatment by the state of Oregon’s government plan. As an alternative, they offered to pay for physician-assisted suicide. Imagine what the liberal politicians would say if an insurance company offered such an option!

You’ll get political medicine, not doctor/patient medicine. The Biblical example is to treat all equally. The political example is he who lobbies best (including offering payoffs and bribes) gets special favors, approved devices, procedures and drugs.

It creates an ever-growing bureaucracy. That’s right, the bill creates even more federal, state, and local government agencies—111 new bureaucracies, boards, commissions, programs and agencies in all.

If you have insurance ‘not approved by government politicians’ you’ll be unfairly penalized. My insurance policy, for example, will be eliminated, outlawed or heavily taxed (it looks like 40%).

The bill penalizes quality doctors. Primary care physicians are penalized if they refer you to a specialist. Solo or small independent doctors are pushed into large groups or hospitals. This can only detract from the quality of your care, as it discourages our best and brightest from pursuing a career in medicine.

It will kill medical device innovation. Because of cost controls, there will be little incentive for companies to develop new medical breakthroughs.

It will kill Medicare Advantage. For 10 million seniors who now get Medicare Advantage, their premiums go up and their benefits drop in 2011. The politicians are hoping seniors will drop Medicare Advantage and sign up for Medi-gap insurance—which provides less coverage at higher costs—instead.

Your freedom curtailed. Anyone who doesn’t have health insurance will pay a $750 fine. This will especially impact young people who can’t afford coverage.

It will bankrupt most states. The bill is loaded with expensive, unfunded mandates on state governments—regulations the states must comply with and pay for. Yet numerous states are already broke.

Remarkably, three states are getting ‘special treatment’ from the Feds in exchange for their Senators’ “yes” vote on the bill. The other 47 states are the victims of and have to pay for this deceitful and unethical deal. It’s criminal and blatantly unconstitutional.

California will be especially harmed by $5 billion to $9 billion in unfunded mandates—a state already facing a $20.7 billion deficit. State taxes are going up, big time.

The bill kills competition. It provides large insurance and drug companies with special subsidies, tax credits, protections and favors that will squeeze out small, innovative companies.

There is no frivolous lawsuit reform. In recent years, frivolous lawsuits filed by greedy trial lawyers have helped drive up medical costs. Doctors have responded by ordering unnecessary tests and procedures in order to protect themselves from lawsuits. This has driven costs up even further.

In fact, billions of dollars are spent every year—more than 1% of GDP in direct costs, and 2% to 3% on these unnecessary tests and procedures.

The healthcare bill does nothing to address this situation or to rein in the trial lawyers. In fact, trial lawyers will get richer from this bill because everyone is open to lawsuits—except the government.

No reform here!

It will cost jobs. Not only will taxes increase for small businesses, causing lost jobs…it will be a nightmare for companies with part-time employees who will be required to be covered. The result: part-time employees will lose their jobs.

As you can see, this healthcare bill is the biggest expansion of government in American history. Those hurt the most: everyone.

If you haven’t written Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer yet, do so. They voted for this monstrosity. Tell them to vote to repeal the bill.

Write your congressmen as well. Even Republicans, who all voted NO, need to be encouraged to continue to make the right choice.